
The Steps to War
An Empirical Study
Princeton University Press
Published on 10. August 2008
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-691-13421-5 (ISBN)
Description
The question of what causes war has concerned statesmen since the time of Thucydides. "The Steps to War" utilizes new data on militarized interstate disputes from 1816 to 2001 to identify the factors that increase the probability that a crisis will escalate to war. In this book, Paul Senese and John Vasquez test one of the major behavioral explanations of war - the steps to war - by identifying the various factors that put two states at risk for war.Focusing on the era of classic international politics from 1816 to 1945, the Cold War, and the post-Cold War period, they look at the roles of territorial disputes, alliances, rivalry, and arms races and show how the likelihood of war increases significantly as these risk factors are combined. Senese and Vasquez argue that war is more likely in the presence of these factors because they increase threat perception and put both sides into a security dilemma. "The Steps to War" calls into question certain prevailing realist beliefs, like peace through strength, demonstrating how threatening to use force and engaging in power politics is more likely to lead to war than to peace.
Reviews / Votes
In this detailed, complex book, Vasquez and the late Senese set out to add to the 'steps to war' body of literature. -- J. Fields, Choice [T]his book is an exemplar of empirical peace science... For Paul Senese, whose service to the peace science community and commitment to peace research ended unfortunately too soon, it is a fitting, albeit unwelcome, coda that will continue to inspire us as we endeavor to unravel the enduring problem of international war. -- Mark J.C. Crescenzi, Perspectives on Politics This is an important book that confirms many of the postulates of the steps to war theory in a compelling fashion. It also provides a seminal example of 'scientific' research in international relations. -- Alex Bellamy, Political Studies ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
1 line illus. 38 tables.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
595 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-13421-5 (9780691134215)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
08/2008
Princeton University Press
€35.50
Article not available at the moment
Persons
Paul D. Senese was associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He died in 2006 as this book was coming to completion. John A. Vasquez is the Thomas B. Mackie Scholar in International Relations at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Content
List of Figures and Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 PART I: Foundations Chapter 1: The Steps to War 7 Chapter 2: The Evolution of a Research Program: Research Design 37 PART II: Territory and War Chapter 3: From Territorial Claims to Territorial Disputes: Testing for Selection Effects 75 Chapter 4: Territory, Contiguity, and Their Interaction: A Contingent Model of Interstate Conflict 104 PART III: Power Politics and War Chapter 5: The Probability of War between Nation-States 129 Chapter 6: The Probability of Crisis Escalation 179 Chapter 7: Exploring Interactions in the Steps to War 215 PART IV: Conclusion Chapter 8: Explaining War, Thinking about Peace 251 References 281 Name Index 301 Subject Index 307